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A photo blog of the Little Sewickley Creek Watershed that includes wildflowers, wild mushrooms, frogs, trees, and all the flora and fauna indigenous to the area. Little Sewickley Creek is a small stream about 13 miles downriver from Pittsburgh, Pa that flows through old growth forest until it eventually empties into the Ohio River.

Since the wildflowers are done for the year, we headed into the woods hoping to find some Turkeytails & other colorful mushrooms. So as we hiked, we scanned nearly every rotten log we passed for what fungi might be growing on them. Plus the hollow we were in doesn't get a lot of direct sun, so we weren't disappointed by what we found.

Turkeytail Mushroom (Trametes versicolor) -This is just one of the many Turkeytails we cam across on our hike and as I've said before, I'm always amazed by the variety of colors they exhibit and the beauty of their symmetrical patterns. — Turkeytail Mushroom (*Trametes versicolor*) -
This is just one of the many Turkeytails we cam across on our hike and as I've said before, I'm always amazed by the variety of colors they exhibit and the beauty of their symmetrical patterns.

Purple Cup Fungus (Ascocoryne cylichnium) - I photographed Purple Cup fungus around this time last year, so I was excited to find more of it growing this past weekend.  Cup fungi in general are very interesting to me and are quite beautifu… — Purple Cup Fungus (*Ascocoryne cylichnium*) -
I photographed Purple Cup fungus around this time last year, so I was excited to find more of it growing this past weekend. Cup fungi in general are very interesting to me and are quite beautiful. This specimen, like most cup fungi, are very small - no bigger than the circumference of a pea.

Scarlet Waxy Cap Mushrooms (Hygrocybe punicea) -This cluster of Scarlet Waxy Cap mushrooms really stood out against the rotting brown log we found them on.  They really did look beautiful and very healthy, so they must be in their prime right n… — Scarlet Waxy Cap Mushrooms (*Hygrocybe punicea*) -
This cluster of Scarlet Waxy Cap mushrooms really stood out against the rotting brown log we found them on. They really did look beautiful and very healthy, so they must be in their prime right now. And by the way, this is the first I've photographed and identified them, but I am 98% certain on my identification.

Tinder Conk (Fomes fomentarius) -Tinder Conk is a relatively common conk found throughout our area and the world.  It's name is derived from early man's use of the fungus as tinder for starting fires and interestingly Oetzi the Iceman, a 5000 y… — Tinder Conk (*Fomes fomentarius*) -
Tinder Conk is a relatively common conk found throughout our area and the world. It's name is derived from early man's use of the fungus as tinder for starting fires and interestingly Oetzi the Iceman, a 5000 year old natural mummy found on the border between Austria and Italy, had several small pieces in his possession when he died.

Unknown Feather - I'm not sure what type of bird this feather is from, but it really is quite beautiful.  If i had to guess, I think it might be from a raptor since they typically have banded and mottled feathers, but once again that's onl… — Unknown Feather -
I'm not sure what type of bird this feather is from, but it really is quite beautiful. If i had to guess, I think it might be from a raptor since they typically have banded and mottled feathers, but once again that's only a guess.

Turkeytail Mushroom (Trametes versicolor) -Another beautiful Turkeytail...  I try not to overload my posts with too many pictures of one species, but we saw so many great Turkeytails on Sunday, I've included all the good pictures I took. — Turkeytail Mushroom (*Trametes versicolor*) -
Another beautiful Turkeytail... I try not to overload my posts with too many pictures of one species, but we saw so many great Turkeytails on Sunday, I've included all the good pictures I took.

Pale Mantleslug (Pallifera dorsalis) -I'm really not sure if I've identified this slug correctly, but based on the research I did it is the most likely candidate.  Interestingly, this slug was feeding on an old mushroom, that was so past its pr… — Pale Mantleslug (*Pallifera dorsalis*) -
I'm really not sure if I've identified this slug correctly, but based on the research I did it is the most likely candidate. Interestingly, this slug was feeding on an old mushroom, that was so past its prime that it was actually starting to rot and was un-identifiable. I never realized that slugs feed on mushrooms as much as they do until I started photographing and identifying the mushrooms I see in the woods.

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